The Awakening presents visual artworks created by up-and-coming Scarborough Artist Ashante Blackwood, depicting the various stages that women of colour have, and continue to experience as they learn to overcome and love themselves in a society that has historically prioritized ideals of white beauty. From being broken down to nearly nothing, to building themselves back up, to not only finding their true identity but also learning to love it, this insightful exhibit presents works that tell a story of rebirth – the true Awakening of a melanin goddess.

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
Spirit of Africa is a fun, exciting, interactive workshop that uses dance movement, music, and song to tell the story of the African people. Participants will learn about how the everyday lives of African people transfers through the arts, where examples of their daily activities, values and customs are portrayed. This workshop consists of a series of movements and song and drum rhythms from different parts of West Africa, followed by a formal instruction of a traditional dance piece, and ending with a “cookup”, where participants are able to freely express themselves. Participants should come ready to move and have fun!

*Please note that this is a WORKSHOP SERIES and that participants who would like to attend are HIGHLY ENCOURAGED TO REGISTER AND ATTEND ALL sessions of the workshop*

ABOUT THE FACILITATOR
Born on the island of Trinidad and Tobago, Lesley Waldron started her journey in dance at the tender age of 5. She has trained in Modern, Caribbean Folk, and African Dance. In 1993, she joined the Ghanaian group Sankofa Drum and Dance Ensemble. In the Twi language, “Sankofa” means “go back and retrieve”; which is exactly what Lesley did, travelling to Ghana in 2007 to obtain a degree in West African dance and community development. Today, Lesley’s goal is to use the arts as a tool to educate young minds and inspire youth to elevate themselves.

This workshop is part of Scarborough Arts’ SA Suite of Programs — 2019. For more workshops like this, visit http://bit.ly/SASuite2019

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
Art of Dance will focus on showcasing the history and evolution of dance through influence from dancehall, afro and hip hop. Precious will create and teach unique routines that challenge you as a participants to express feelings and emotions through movement. Join us as we travel through cultures with the Art of Dance!

*Please note that this is a WORKSHOP SERIES and that participants who would like to attend are HIGHLY ENCOURAGED TO REGISTER AND ATTEND ALL sessions of the workshop*

ABOUT THE FACILITATOR
Aziza Brown Bonsu is a Scarborough born entrepreneur. She is multi-faceted creative who has many passions, one being the art of dance.She has been performing her entire life, starting at a young age where she trained in many different styles. Traditional African, afro-contemporary, hip hop, dancehall, lyrical and bgirl. She has 10 years of professional experience as a dancer.

Over the years her dance experience led her to teach classes. Her first official position as a choreographer was teaching the Miss Black Beauty Canada pageant contestants two years in a row. * She is currently teaching in partnership with the Toronto Public Library youth hub at The S.P.O.T. with Madd Skylz youth dance program for the past 2 years. And with Afiwi Groove in Ajax *

This workshop is part of Scarborough Arts’ SA Suite of Programs — 2019. For more workshops like this, visit http://bit.ly/SASuite2019

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
In this workshop, participants will practice three means of care (food, love, and art), which have been vital to the survival of Tamil and other bipoc communities in Scarborough. The goal is to have conversations on what community care and survival can look like for everyone in the room. Using storytelling, unearthing lesser known local histories of community solidarity, and participating in artful archiving using clothing, images, and other unusual items, this workshop will touch on loneliness, loss, and pain, and collectively emerge feeling soothed as a community.

*Please note that this is a WORKSHOP SERIES and that participants who would like to attend are HIGHLY ENCOURAGED TO REGISTER AND ATTEND ALL sessions of the workshop*

ABOUT THE FACILITATOR
Vasuki Shanmuganathan is an arts informed archivist, researcher, and educator. She draws from her diverse lived experiences and work in arts, women’s health, refugee advocacy, and youth collectives. She is also the founder of the Tamil Archive Project (TAP) and Critical Mass Series (CMS), which combine knowledge translation, archives, and art into accessible community events. Her exhibit on “Archiving Displacement” imagined a people’s archive in Regent Park using its local thrift stores as sites of community memory.

This workshop is part of Scarborough Arts’ SA Suite of Programs — 2019. For more workshops like this, visit http://bit.ly/SASuite2019

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
Stitch by Stitch examines the connection between clothing, memory, and place. Participants will work towards a final project featuring their own personal poem about Scarborough that will be outlined and decorated with embroidery stitches. The main goal of this workshop is to demonstrate that personal stories progress over time. One stitch is similar to one day, and thus over time – stitch by stitch and day by day – we are contributing our stories to the fabric of Scarborough.

ABOUT THE FACILITATOR
Joanna Prescod is a cultural advocate with a strong interest in art as a social practice. Through her platform Social Uniforms, she facilitates sewing and textile-based workshops that highlight connections between clothes, identity, and history. Her art practices are influenced by socially engaged art methods where workshops center on participants and not the artist. With every workshop, she aims to create spaces where clothes and stories can help centralize voices that are often marginalized.

This workshop is part of Scarborough Arts’ SA Suite of Programs — 2019. For more workshops like this, visit http://bit.ly/SASuite2019

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
Join artist Marjan Verstappen in a botanical illustration course. Learn to see plants in a whole new light. Explore new mediums, learn new drawing skills, or brush up on previous experience. Perfect for artists, gardeners, foragers, nature enthusiasts, animal lovers, science geeks, and people who just want to make beautiful pictures. Appropriate for all skill levels.

ABOUT THE FACILITATOR
Marjan Verstappen is a visual artist based in Toronto, her practice emcompasses drawing, sculpture, photography, and making art with communities. She has been teaching art since 2013. Recent exhibitions include Life, Onions and Hotdogs on Parade (Zalucky Contemporary), Every. Now. Then: Reframing Nationhood (Art Gallery of Ontario), Gallery Galleria (Galleria Shopping Centre, Toronto) and the Fung Wah Biennial (Flux Factory, NYC). Verstappen was born in New Zealand, where she received her BFA in Sculpture from Dunedin School of Art. She moved to Canada in 2012 and graduated from OCAD University with an MFA in 2014. She lives and works in Toronto, where she is co-director of Younger Than Beyoncé (YTB) Gallery.

This workshop is part of Scarborough Arts’ SA Suite of Programs — 2019. For more workshops like this, visit http://bit.ly/SASuite2019

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
Art of Dance will focus on showcasing the history and evolution of dance through influence from dancehall, afro and hip hop. Precious will create and teach unique routines that challenge you as a participants to express feelings and emotions through movement. Join us as we travel through cultures with the Art of Dance!

*Please note that this is a WORKSHOP SERIES and that participants who would like to attend are HIGHLY ENCOURAGED TO REGISTER AND ATTEND ALL sessions of the workshop*

ABOUT THE FACILITATOR
Aziza Brown Bonsu is a Scarborough born entrepreneur. She is multi-faceted creative who has many passions, one being the art of dance.She has been performing her entire life, starting at a young age where she trained in many different styles. Traditional African, afro-contemporary, hip hop, dancehall, lyrical and bgirl. She has 10 years of professional experience as a dancer.

Over the years her dance experience led her to teach classes. Her first official position as a choreographer was teaching the Miss Black Beauty Canada pageant contestants two years in a row. * She is currently teaching in partnership with the Toronto Public Library youth hub at The S.P.O.T. with Madd Skylz youth dance program for the past 2 years. And with Afiwi Groove in Ajax *

This workshop is part of Scarborough Arts’ SA Suite of Programs — 2019. For more workshops like this, visit http://bit.ly/SASuite2019

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
1-800-HENNABLING provides participants the chance to learn about the background of henna throughout history, including culture and materials, how to use a henna cone, and how to draw henna designs. This is an opportunity for youth in the culturally dense Scarborough community to appreciate a part of the neighbourhood’s culture, as they learn the skill of a traditional art form.

ABOUT THE FACILITATOR
Farheen and Amreen Kadwa make up the artist duo Kadwa Twins’ Henna. The 23 year old twin sisters seek to educate and empower people through cultural henna art. They are extremely dedicated to youth and community development, especially through art and culture. Amreen and Farheen express their artistic selves through modest fashion and new trends. They take bookings for bridal henna, party henna, and corporate events.

This workshop is part of Scarborough Arts’ SA Suite of Programs — 2019. For more workshops like this, visit http://bit.ly/SASuite2019

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
Art of Dance will focus on showcasing the history and evolution of dance through influence from dancehall, afro and hip hop. Precious will create and teach unique routines that challenge you as a participants to express feelings and emotions through movement. Join us as we travel through cultures with the Art of Dance!

*Please note that this is a WORKSHOP SERIES and that participants who would like to attend are HIGHLY ENCOURAGED TO REGISTER AND ATTEND ALL sessions of the workshop*

ABOUT THE FACILITATOR
Aziza Brown Bonsu is a Scarborough born entrepreneur. She is multi-faceted creative who has many passions, one being the art of dance.She has been performing her entire life, starting at a young age where she trained in many different styles. Traditional African, afro-contemporary, hip hop, dancehall, lyrical and bgirl. She has 10 years of professional experience as a dancer.

Over the years her dance experience led her to teach classes. Her first official position as a choreographer was teaching the Miss Black Beauty Canada pageant contestants two years in a row. * She is currently teaching in partnership with the Toronto Public Library youth hub at The S.P.O.T. with Madd Skylz youth dance program for the past 2 years. And with Afiwi Groove in Ajax *

This workshop is part of Scarborough Arts’ SA Suite of Programs — 2019. For more workshops like this, visit http://bit.ly/SASuite2019

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
This workshop starts with and introduction to the background on the Toronto water front and its natural world followed by an introduction to fish prints, and then actually printing from a real (dead) fish! Participants will also get the chance to paint an environment for their newly printed fish. A variety of sizes of fish will be available.

*Please note that this is a WORKSHOP SERIES and that participants who would like to attend are HIGHLY ENCOURAGED TO REGISTER AND ATTEND ALL sessions of the workshop*

ABOUT THE FACILITATOR
Charles Weiss is a Scarborough resident working in acrylic paint and wood carving to express the local world. Accuracy and an eye for unique design have always been a large part of his fine art and illustration. Nature-inspired images of the local waterways have always been a part of his art.

This workshop is part of Scarborough Arts’ SA Suite of Programs — 2019. For more workshops like this, visit http://bit.ly/SASuite2019